The Thrillist, a popular website that discusses topics such as food, drinks, travel, and cannabis, has published a blog post that gives recommendations on how vegetarians can partake in the delightful culinary art form of charcuterie and have just as much fun with the concept as their meat-eating counterparts. The blog post from the Thrillist is being promoted by Roots To Table, the company behind the Bamboo Cheese and Charcuterie Board Set, Amazon’s Choice product in the “Cheese Plates” category on Amazon.com.
The blog post begins by giving readers a little introduction to the concept of charcuterie along with a short history lesson on how the culinary technique has evolved over the years. It asserts that though the charcuterie board has its origins in meat preservation, today the concept can be broadly applied to a wide range of food types. To support its argument, the blog post quotes Chef Matthew Kenney, the restaurateur behind beloved vegan restaurants and founder of the plant-based chocolate line, Casse-Cou, who said, “Many people think of meats and cheeses when they think of charcuterie, but that’s simply not how my mind works. It’s possible to make a beautiful board using savory olives and cashews or nut-based cheese, along with sweeter elements like dried fruit and jam. It’s important to include creamy items, as well as nuts and crackers, to make sure that the spread is balanced.”
The article then outlines a strategy for picking ingredients for a custom charcuterie board. The key, according to the blog post, is to pick at least two elements from each of the following food categories - savory, sweet, and salty. For sweet charcuterie board elements, it recommends fresh fruit, jams, jellies, fig salami, honey or honeycomb, and chocolate. For the savory choices, it suggests cheeses, meat alternatives, hummus, tapenade, and fresh vegetables. To add saltiness to the charcuterie board, it recommends olives, gherkins, pickled vegetables, and salted nuts.
Even within a category, there should be some variation of texture. Ideally, two separate similar-tasting items on the board should have complementary textures such as soft cheeses should be complemented with hard cheeses, jams should be complemented with crunchy fruit, and so on. This principle can even extend to the color of the food items. Another idea presented in the blog post is to create a board with an overall theme and to use as many varied ingredients as possible that fit into that broad theme.
The blog post then offers plenty of tips to make a vegan charcuterie board which means eschewing the selection of dairy-based cheeses and opting for dairy-free options such as vegan bleu, lapsang souchong tea-infused spreadable cheese, and more. Finally, the blog post recommends the best technique for plating a charcuterie board which is to start by placing the bulkiest pieces strategically and then filling in the space between with smaller items.
A spokesperson for Roots To Table reacted to the wealth of information collated in the blog post from the Thrillist by saying, “Charcuterie is a meat lover’s paradise. However, it doesn’t mean that this venerable French culinary technique is not for those who don’t support the products churned out by the often-problematic meat industry. If you are a vegetarian, vegan, or are just looking for a cruelty-free way to enjoy charcuterie boards, this article from the Thrillist is a great starting point. It recommends so many ingredients to try and mix and match that you will never feel like you are missing out or be left wanting for variety. Chef Matthew Kenney is an expert at his craft and he is, frankly, the best voice to take advice from when it comes to vegetarian or vegan alternatives to popular foods. We highly recommend that you check out the blog post for yourself to soak in all its exciting suggestions. Finally, if you ever decide to try out a vegan charcuterie board, please consider plating it up on our very own Roots To Table Bamboo Cheese and Charcuterie Board Set.”
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For more information about Roots To Table, contact the company here:
Roots To Table
Alan Burton
8884102340
care@rootstotable.com
228 West Oak loop
Cedar Creek Texas
78612
